# Can a person on wellbutrin get high on cocaine

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-person-on-wellbutrin-get-high-on-cocaine/326137>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [October 13, 2005, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-person-on-wellbutrin-get-high-on-cocaine/326137 "2005-10-13T23:10:02Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\
**Post date:** [October 13, 2005, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-person-on-wellbutrin-get-high-on-cocaine/326137/1 "2005-10-13T23:10:02Z")

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If wellbutrin is a dopamine reuptake inhibitor if a person is taking that for antidepressant reasons then takes cocaine will they still get the cocaine high due to cocaine displacing wellbutrin or will wellbutrin prevent the cocaine from working?

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**Author:** ![deevee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/57b2e6/32.png) [@deevee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/deevee)\
**Post date:** [October 13, 2005, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-person-on-wellbutrin-get-high-on-cocaine/326137/2 "2005-10-13T23:12:49Z")

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Man Wesley I’d like to see your notebook after you’ve collated all the info you’ve been collecting lately. :eek:

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**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\
**Post date:** [October 13, 2005, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-person-on-wellbutrin-get-high-on-cocaine/326137/3 "2005-10-13T23:22:56Z")

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This questions was answered [here at Google Answers](http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=26017). The summary is that no one really understands it very well. That is typical with anything to do with neurotransmitter function. Those news shorts and magazine articles make it seem like we know all about neurotransmitters and that is far from the truth.

Here is a clip that I thought was relevant:

> [@](#):
>
> Bupropion and cocaine are both dopamine REUPTAKE inhibitors. This is  
> quite different than a dopamine inhibitor.
> 
> A reuptake inhibitor will prevent synaptic dopamine from being  
> endocytosed and removed from the synaptic cleft, the final result  
> being an increase in the concentration and action of dopamine between  
> neurons. A traditional “inhibitor” would generally either compete for  
> the dopamine receptor without activating it, actually deactivate the  
> receptor, or in some other way reduce the action of dopamine (not  
> something generally desirable).

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**Author:** ![xash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/c6cbf5/32.png) [@xash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xash)\
**Post date:** [October 14, 2005, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-person-on-wellbutrin-get-high-on-cocaine/326137/4 "2005-10-14T01:02:28Z")

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From the Registration Agreement:

> [@](#):
>
> You agree not to post material that in our opinion fosters or promotes activity that is illegal in the U.S.

This is closed.

- **xash**  
General Questions Moderator